Chapter 30: Apologies for the Mistake

Apologies for the Mistake

But just because Tachibana-san is here and Hanabi-san's problems have been solved, I can't let my guard down.

There are two other students who are just as problematic, if not more so, than Hanabi.

One of them is Karen Miyama.

She's a problematic student who takes private conversations in class for granted, doesn't turn in assignments, doesn't listen to instructions, and won't listen to anything I say.

Her behavior influenced those around her, and the other students began to follow her lead and engage in private conversations, which was the beginning of last year's embarrassment.

I can still remember how the conversations between one or two students around April had spread to the whole class by the end of the class.

I heard that she and Tachibana-san are childhood friends, but they have absolutely nothing in common. I was surprised when I first heard this. 

"And... there's one more."

Another problem child is Rindou Kazaha.

Last year, it seems she managed to get enough grades and attendance last year, so she was promoted to Class 2-2.

That said, she hasn't come to school once yet.

It's been a week since the new school semester started.

She hasn't shown up for the opening ceremony or regular classes, and it seems she's busy fighting with delinquents from another school.

I called her home once, and she answered. When I asked her why she wasn't coming, she said:

"Oh man, I'm so close to beating up those Higashi kids! I seriously don't have time for school, so I'll be there later, so stop calling me, it's annoying! Bye!"

And with that, she rambled on and hung up on me.

By "Higashi," she mean Higashi High School, which means she's fighting with the delinquents currently enrolled at Higashi High School.

Her actions may seem quite old-fashioned in this day and age, but the fact that they're actually happening makes them worse.

What's worse about them is that normally, a fight between a small group of people would be more accurately called a quarrel than a conflict, but in this day and age, with the ease of mail order, where anything is available, and the power of social media, which can bring in alumni and other related connections, the scale of this conflict is unimaginable given the number of people who are absent from school.

Among the students who have graduated or dropped out of this school, there are a small number of delinquents, and sadly, some of them have gone down the wrong path.

These ten or so absentees are multiplied many times over by ten or so.

Of course, problems arise when large groups of such aggressive people gather together.

If they're just fighting, in the extreme, there aren't many problems other than injuries to the people involved. This isn't a manga, so they're not fighting in the schoolyard after school or by a riverside with a beautiful sunset.

It happens quietly, on their own, in places where people don't go.

But they don't just appear in those places or teleport away. They stop by a nearby convenience store or restaurant before a fight, and they walk down the street to get around in the first place.

It's in these so-called public places that groups of roughnecks appear. Because they're the type of people who get into fights, they're far more likely to cause trouble than the average person.

It's when these facts and trends overlap that it becomes a major problem.

People saw them fighting somewhere, it was in such and such an inappropriate place, and what's more, there were students from such and such a school among them.

In this day and age, there's virtually no way to stop these rumors.

However, as a mere teacher, I have no way of stopping them from doing this.

"Please...sigh."

Please, I hope that Tachibana and Rindou never come into contact with each other.

•

•

•

•

•

"Hey...can you give me some money? We're classmates, it's okay, right?"

"...Yeah."

Is extortion really a thing these days?